Experienced that long day into night into day jumping on that jet from Detroit to Amsterdam and then waiting for our connection into Milan, Italy. From there an hour or so ride up into the south of Switzerland.
It’s really not that terrible – it’s a little more than seven hours on the first leg with a two-and-a-half hour layover in Amsterdam. You really do need that because sometimes going thru passport control can be a long, long wait with enormous lines. (My good friend Terry Copacia and I have endured two very long experiences – once in JFK and another time in Atlanta upon returns from Switzerland).
Those long lines in the US are alright because you know that you can always get home even if you have to rent a car. But, when sitting in Paris or even Milan you always have that nagging thought in the back of your mind. “Just what am I going to do if I miss this connection??
Driving in Europe is a little bit different….plus you can’t exactly fly a Ford Escort across that big puddle of water they call the Atlantic Ocean.
Anyway, it always seems to work out eventually. Just keep a solid store of patience and be prepared to ask a few people if they can help you in English. Almost impossible not to find an English-speaking person willing to help. (Sometimes not so much in France – but hell it is their country after all).
First task after moving on from Milan to Lugano, Switzerland is to find our Hotel. It is called the Federale and is located in the amazingly steep mountainside on which Lugano is built. (Even when you are going downhill in this part of Switzerland you are going uphill??!!)
It turns out Federale is a very old Hotel that has two separate buildings – and we are in the lower section which is 70 meters around curves and through buildings and really doesn’t even appear to be part of the base hotel.
***Come on the Federale??? In Switzerland??? Where is Pancho Villa and the boys?***
At first I thought that the fellow behind the desk said the room was about 70 steps away from the hotel….nope he did mean 70 meters. It was a nice enough room with separate keys to get into the building and then to get into our studio apartment.
It was a little different…but things in Europe are different and that is OK (I guess??)
Now my friend Giorgio picks us up and we drive even higher up the mountain to a place that has some of the best pasta and pizza you will ever find….Ristorante de Sol. Wow, what a meal! My wife was introduced to my friends Fulgenzio, Giorgio, his son Giovanni, daughter Katerina and later his wife Joselyn (who is a dual citizen – born in Utah).
We had a great visit and reconnection and then we slid back down the hill to our quaint (OK – let’s be real here – small is the better word) room.
During this rainy night we were treated to a constant stream of revelers walking up and down the steep cobblestone road that is used to get to the main piazza area of bars, restaurants, clubs and shopping that the center of the city is built around.
Unfortunately this broad cobblestone thorughfare (did I mention steep) ran right past our room. Talk about a “Hard Days Night!”
These people must not work, because the noise, singing, loud talking and yelling didn’t end until four or five AM. (started on a Thursday ended in the early morning on Friday!). Great stamina to go with their enthusiasm I would say.)
Friday morning we dragged our luggage up the switch backs that makeup the concrete walkway up the mountain to the train station. I am serious when I say that Lugano has two directions – up….and….even more up.)
We zip across the spectacular scenery on the two hour trip from Lugano to Lucerne on a speeding train that doesn’t rattle or make noise (The US would be smart to look into how this is accomplished).
On this train you actually go underneath the Alps thru a tunnel (I think 
it is the second longest tunnel of this type in the world) – thirty minutes later you pop out on the other side. It is beautiful! – mountains – lake….simply spectacular.
Another 45 minutes and you arrive in the beautiful city of Lucerne (or Luzern – depending on which of the Swiss Cantons you are from). This an old city with spectacular views of old buildings – restaurants, churches. Complete with cobblestone streets, bell towers and exquisite (college word) masonry.
We have left the Italian speaking canton of Ticino where Lugano is located and are now in the predominantly German speaking (Swiss German – which is different than German from what I am told) area where Lucern is located. This is another unusual cultural aspect of Switzerland. There are four languages spoken here with no “common” Swiss tongue. In other words no one speaks “Swiss”.
The people of Switzerland live in several regions that are dominated by different languages. There are states (Cantons) that speak French, German or Italian. Also there are regions that speak an ancient tongue called Romanish (Apparently this is a Latin based language).
Consequentially you will find that almost everyone speaks each of the languages (at the very least two of them) plus English. Truly an amazing people. Bright and extremely friendly.
Tomorrow we begin work on our “Growth of the Game” football camp. Should be interesting.